One characteristic of the future of public libraries? Probably so. OpenLibrary ties in with OverDrive system for checking out ebooks and the WordlCat system for reserving and checking out physical books too.

There is a lot of discussion in the area of ebook check-out from publishers and libraries alike. Many universities and large metropolitan public libraries have ebook check-out systems that only require a library card to access complete ebook collections at these libraries. Imaging taking a group of middle schoolers out on a field trip at one your local large universities and setting them up with library cards and mutli-function ebook readers (iPad, rooted Color Nook, etc.) (San Jose State University comes to mind they partnered with the San Jose Public library system. I believe any resident of California can get a library card and access their collections. Your “mileage” may vary in your local community.) The students would get to experience and learn about the university, and immediately begin to take advantage of the universities resources. That’s what I’d call a “nice” field trip!

Twurdy is a search engine that returns results based on reading level. If you have a 10 year old doing research on the web, or a phd student doing research on the web, they can access resources quickly based on reading level that is appropriate for their needs.

Diipo connects you the teacher with your students by making it easy to communicate with your class. Diipo also connects you with other educators and your class with other classes. Featuring an easy-to-use and familiar user-interface similar to Facebook and Twitter, Diipo helps students stay connected and engaged.

Skype in the classroom is a free directory for teachers who want to use Skype to bring education to life in their classrooms. Join today to share resources, chat with teachers and even pair classes. Meet new people, discover new cultures and connect with classes from around the world, all without leaving your classroom.

“Learning Without Frontiers is a global platform for disruptive thinkers and practitioners from the education, digital media, technology and entertainment sectors who come together to explore how new disruptive technologies can drive radical efficiencies and improvements in learning whilst providing equality of access.”